


An Ice Winter Stroll

by Awakening5



Series: A Little Tight Around The Ol' One-Shooter [1]
Category: Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Holding Hands, Icy Conditions, awkward teens, could be a missing moment, depending on how you perceive the endgame-FFH timeline, it's slippery out there folks, twelve days of promptmas
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-14
Updated: 2020-12-14
Packaged: 2021-03-10 17:22:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,683
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28070889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Awakening5/pseuds/Awakening5
Summary: Michelle tries to come to grips with her recent observations of Peter Parker. And also tries not to slip and fall on her ass repeatedly. Fortunately she can accomplish both when Peter helps her get home on an icy day.
Relationships: Michelle Jones & Peter Parker, Michelle Jones/Peter Parker
Series: A Little Tight Around The Ol' One-Shooter [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2056338
Comments: 43
Kudos: 79
Collections: Twelve Days of Promptmas





	An Ice Winter Stroll

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote a one-shot!! Big thanks to [spidermanhomecomeme](https://archiveofourown.org/users/spidermanhomecomeme/pseuds/spidermanhomecomeme) for putting together this wonderful promptmas.
> 
> Twelve Days of Promptmas Prompts:  
> 72\. Icy Sidewalks  
> 7\. "Your hands are freezing."
> 
> P.S. I'm convinced Kevin Feige himself couldn't tell you the Marvel Timeline. But if there truly is one, and a winter takes place between Endgame and Far From Home, this fic could slot right in there. If there is no winter between the movies, then enjoy this AU!

Michelle is observant. It is a simple fact. Sure, she used this fact to explain away her obsession with Peter Parker once, but that doesn't make it less true. She can be observant _and_ obsessed at the same time. They are not mutually exclusive qualities.

Except that over the last few months, those qualities _have_ butted heads just a little bit. Because her observation is that Peter Parker has been going out of his way to spend more time with her since the Blip unblipped. But her obsession is that Peter Parker can't possibly be going out of his way to spend more time with her because that has implications that her obsession is not yet equipped to handle. He can't return the obsession.

And maybe she needs a new word for obsession—it makes her sound creepy. But she can't use "crush" for obvious reasons.

Regardless, it does not sneak by her observation that Peter Parker lingers after their final AcaDec meeting before the winter break. It certainly doesn't go unnoticed that he's walked with her to the bus _several_ times over the last few weeks, even leaving Ned and (she believes) Spider-Man duties to do so.

Initially, she thought this had to do with the Blip—as so many things did the last few months. It was only natural for the blipped to band together, find solace in each other's company and familiarity. And that explanation let Michelle conveniently avoid confronting the fact that Peter has been singling out _her_ among the Blipped— _her_ company and _her_ familiarity.

"Heading home?" he asks her as she finishes packing up her things, and zips up her bag. The rest of the team is already down the hallway, their fading voices but taunting reminders that she's alone with Peter. Again. And still not used to it.

"Yeah," she says, tone as nonchalant as she can possibly make it. "You?"

After the Blip, Peter and his Aunt needed to find a new place, like so many others. And as luck would have it...they were all but neighbors now. That meant countless excruciating and wonderful thirty-minute commutes filled with fleeting glances and stilted conversation that gave MJ—frankly too much—fuel for her obsession (not crush). Every day seemed to give her another casual line or look to reflect on and wonder about. And it was killing her, slowly, surely, and somehow enjoyably?

"Yep!" he says happily. "May's off work today and said she wants to try baking some new donuts she found on Pinterest for the last night of Hanukkah."

She slung on her backpack and they left the classroom together. It—once again—did not escape her notice that he had been ready to leave long before she was, and had clearly been waiting for her. Curse her observation skills. "Oh I didn't know she baked," Michelle replies, forcing her mind on the now, and not on his countless possible reasons for waiting for her.

"She doesn't," Peter grins. "I'm mostly just anxious to get home to make sure we still have one."

MJ snorts. "So no internship today?" she asks, trying not to infuse the word with sarcasm. Internship. Hah. More like 'excuse for his Spider-Man disappearances.'

She is over fifty percent sure. And again, tries not to dwell on why he'd choose walking home with her over going to the alleged internship.

He takes a deep breath. "You know, after everything that's happened, I've just been trying to take it easy on the internship for a little while," he explains. He glances over at her. "There are perks, for sure."

 _What does_ that _mean?_

"Oh." And that's all she can say. Fortunately, she's given an excuse for her inability to talk as they walk out into the cold, December air. It takes her breath away, and she instantly tucks her arms around her chest. "Wow."

"Yeah," Peter says next to her. It hadn't been this cold earlier. It had been raining, even—but there was no way it wasn't well below freezing now. "Must've had a cold front move in."

"Thanks Channel 2 weatherman Peter Parker." The sarcasm spills out of her, and though she'll never drop that part of her personality, she has to admit a small part of her is anxious at Peter's reaction. She doesn't actually want to _hurt_ him with her words. But to her begrudging relief, he laughs.

Michelle decides she likes his laugh. It's honest, and his eyes crinkle as he looks at her a little longer than her simple joke probably demands.

The walk to the bus stop isn't far. And they brace themselves against the biting cold, and start the five minute promenade.

Only, this is no pleasant stroll. Michelle learns _very_ quickly that this freak cold front has frozen the rain from earlier in the day, and the sidewalks are _slick_. She catches herself the first time, flailing in a way that probably looks like a baby gazelle walking around for the first time. "Whoa!" she exclaims, hands outstretched to keep her balance.

She looks over at Peter, who stands on steady feet, but whose hands are also lifted, like he's caught halfway between trying to catch her and trying to keep his hands to himself. "You good?" he asks, earnestly. But a smile creeps onto his face, and yeah, she probably deserves some good-natured ribbing. She has to be able to take it if she likes to dish it.

"Fine," she says, and slowly lowers her hands, feeling back in control of herself. Until she takes another step, and the world tips upside down. "Fuck!" she all but screams as she lands on her backside.

Peter's biting back laughter. "You still good?" he asks, and shuffles over to her, hand extended.

She takes it, fighting off a blush. "Still fine."

She reluctantly lets go of his hand when she's settled back on her feet. She takes two tentative steps successfully, and breathes out a sigh of relief.

And then slips again.

Peter apparently had lingered closer to her this time, because instead of a cold, hard, icy ground, her body is met by his warm arms wrapping around her. And like a stupid fairy tale, she's left looking up into his amused eyes from his strong arms. And yeah, maybe after feeling those arms around her, she's more than fifty percent sure he's Spider-Man. Or just fit as fuck, but she's in trouble either way.

"Still good?" he asks yet again.

Less so now. She might prefer a sore ass to the heart palpitations she's experiencing now.

"Still fine," she says weakly. "Thanks."

He rights her, but keeps his hands on her arms, holding her safely to the ground. When he releases her, he holds out one hand and rubs at the back of his neck with the other. "Need a little support for the rest of the walk?"

He says 'rest of the walk' as if she has made it farther than four steps on her own, which is equal parts nice and insulting of him. But the distance to the bus stop has grown immeasurably in the last two minutes, so she fights her embarrassment and nerves to reach out and take his hand.

"Your hands are freezing!" she says, in part because simple observations are the only thing her brain is capable of. In part because she's desperate in _some_ way to even the playing field here, and if she can make him feel just a little self-conscious, that might help.

But Peter only laughs as they start to walk. She's still slipping, but with his firm presence, she can at least stay upright now. "Yeah, well I haven't been able to keep them in my pockets because I have to keep helping _someone_ up off the ground!"

So much for that tactic.

"Do you have spikes on your shoes or something?" she asks, trying her hand at deflection. Peter doesn't slip. At all. It's not even like he's just using incredible balance and core strength to stay upright. He's just not slipping.

And this question _does_ throw him off a little. Now avoiding her eyes, he shrugs. "Must just have good tread."

And yeah, definitely over fifty percent that he's using some sort of sticky Spider-Man power that has never made sense to her when she looks at Youtube videos. The dude wears shoes, but can still stick to walls and shit. Are Spidey's shoes infused with tech or powers that allow him to stick? Is Spidey the one with the powers, and they somehow work even with shoes on?

She'll have to ask Peter one day, once he's told her his secret.

"When we're safely on the bus, I'd like to take a look," she says stupidly. She wants to get that number up over sixty percent, sure, but what does she expect him to do? Show her the crappy tread on his beat-up shoes and say 'welp, you caught me. I'm Spider-Man!'

Instead, he tries his own version of deflection. "And I'd like to see the bruise likely forming on your ass right now," Peter says before he stills, eyes wide, and turns sharply to her.

"Oh my god," she laughs, because it's too funny to be embarrassing. To _her_ , at least. Peter looks mortified.

"I didn't—that's not what—"

"Peter Parker holds a girl's hand and thinks the next step is seeing her naked," she shakes her head, and tries to keep walking. She halts when Peter releases her hand to lift his apologetically.

"MJ, I swear I didn't mean—"

"I struggle to imagine what you'd have suggested if we weren't getting on public transport," she says, egging him on, enjoying this ultimate reversal of vulnerability in their dynamic.

But Peter's brain finally catches up to her hyperbole and laughter, and he sighs out his relief. "You're messing with me."

"Duh, dork." And with an attempt at a cool walk-off, she turns with a smirk and head held high, and slips. Again.

"Fuck me!" she growls, and rubs at the pain on her butt. Peter chuckles softly beside her.

"Now who's the one suggesting things," he says, grabbing her by the arms and hoisting her easily to her feet.

"Just giving you something to ogle on the other cheek, Parker," she grumbles. But he's not caught off guard this time.

"Have an _ice_ trip?" he asks her, shit-eating grin on his face.

She narrows her eyes and bites back the laughter she feels bubbling inside. "First of all, replacing the word 'nice' with 'ice' isn't at all clever, Parker. Batman villains have been doing it for decades. Second, it was a _slip_ , not a _trip_ , thank you very much. And third, give me your fucking hand so I don't die between here and the bus."

Peter extends his hand once more, smiling broadly, and she lets herself smile back at him when she takes it. It's still cold, and that's okay. They resume their walk, and Michelle thinks it odd how comfortable the situation has become. She has to hold on to his forearm with her free hand, and it doesn't seem to phase either of them. Peter might even scoot closer to her after that, with the slightest squeeze of his frigid hand in hers.

Michelle asks him about May some more, whom he's more than happy to talk about. He mentions he caught a glimpse of her latest sketch, and she proudly tells him about the shading technique she's been practicing. She also conspicuously leaves out the number of her practice sketches that happen to be his stupid face.

It only becomes awkward again when they reach the bus, and seem to have a weird clenching and unclenching contest with their hands where neither is quite sure if the other wants to stop holding hands now that the ice is no longer a threat. They end up releasing their clasp on each other with a nervous chuckle, and sit together on the bus.

The bus ride is nice. They can carry comfortable conversation, but when they stop talking, the buzz of the other passengers or the noise from outside keeps the air from turning tense. It gives Michelle all the time she needs to stare out the window, obsess, and observe in retrospect.

Several stops later, when the bus comes to a halt for them, Michelle's observations have not gotten her anywhere except confused as to what exactly a hand-hold means. Particularly when Peter exits the bus before her and holds his hand out when she's about to step from the bus onto the potentially deadly ground.

"Icy?" she asks, as she reaches for his hand.

"I don't know. My shoes actually have tread."

"Shut it," she responds easily. The ground does feel a little suspect, but that's not what steals her attention. "Hey, your hands are warm!"

Peter smiles, and together they start walking toward Michelle's building. Michelle takes slow, measured steps, and Peter walks at her pace only for her sake. "Yeah, well, I didn't want to get any more guff from you."

"So, what?" she asks. "You put your hands under your butt on the bus or something?"

"I expected less talk of each other's butts when we started our trek home," Peter laughs.

Peter's butt is a topic Michelle is well-versed in. It isn't just his stupid face that she's been practicing shading with, after all. _Especially_ if he really is Spider-Man. But she doesn't feel the need to tell him that. "I seem to recall you bringing it up first."

"I seem to recall you falling on yours first. One could argue you introduced the topic."

Michelle groaned. "Not all of us can have crazy sticky feet, Parker."

And her suspicions of him rise into the mid sixties as he awkwardly averts his gaze. He changes the subject. "Got any fun plans for the break?"

"Reading mostly. Maybe watch some movies, Christmas with the family. You?"

They come up on her building. Peter's is just a couple buildings down. "Last night of Hanukkah tonight," he says, his smile returning. They stop at her building's entrance. Michelle doesn't bother reaching for her keys. That would involve releasing Peter's hand to pull off her backpack and fetch them. "Ned and I are planning a Lord of the Rings marathon in a few days." He worries his bottom lip for a moment. "If you want to join us?"

It is cold out, so why is her hand suddenly sweating? And why is her heart acting weird again? Hadn't that gotten under control?

"Extended editions?" she asks, trying to keep her voice level with her well-practiced nonchalance.

"Of course," Peter grins.

She nods. "Cool. Yeah. Let me know when."

"Definitely."

And after a beat too long, they break their held hands, and Michelle fishes out her keys. Peter rocks back and forth on his heels.

"Thanks for the...um, hand—" she lifts her hand that had been in his, and waves it around "—in getting home with relatively few injuries."

Peter snorts at the pun. Of course he would. "It was my pleasure," he says. "I had an _ice_ time."

"Oh my god," Michelle groans again, but can't contain her smile to save her life. "Go home, dork!"

He grins, and backs away from her. She opens her building, and casts a glance back at him before shutting the door behind her. He seems to do a happy little skip as he walks down the street. Michelle thinks it a little dangerous in such icy conditions. But then, she is sixty-seven percent sure he is Spider-Man. He'll be fine.

And it might be time to reclassify her obsession with Peter Parker. Because if that was the term being thrown around, then Peter might just be obsessed with her, too. And Michelle isn't sure she likes it in that context.

Instead, she'll sit with her new observations to come up with a new term—tenderly, of course. After all, she's got a sore backside to worry about, and another to practice sketching.

**Author's Note:**

> If even one of you suggests I turn this into a 5 chapter fic, I'm gonna lose it. Let me have my one-shot in peace!
> 
> Also, thanks for reading! Let me know if you have any non-expand-the-fic thoughts!


End file.
